Flat car bulkhead



Nov. 4, 1969 T. MATYAS ETAL 3,476,041

FLAT CAR BULKHEAD Nov. 4, 1969 T. MATYAS ETAL FLAT CAR BULKHEAD 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Nov. 22, 1967 Nov. 4, 1969 T, MATYAS ETAL 3,476,041

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limited States Patent O W 3,476,041 FLAT CAR BULKHEAD 'llihor Matyas, Plymouth, and .lohn ll. Moorhead, Northville, Mich., assignors to Evans Products Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 22, 1967, Ser. No. 684,983 lut. Ci. Bold 17/00, 45/00 US. Cl. 105--376 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DESCLOSURE A railway fiat car embodying movable cantilevered bulkhead assemblies at its ends for engaging and bracing freight disposed upon the floor surface of the car between the bulkhead assemblies. Each bulkhead assembly includes a sprocket assembly for permitting longitudinal movement of the bulkhead, a locking arrangement that coacts with the car for fixing the bulkhead assembly in selected freight bracing positions and a supporting structure that facilitates adjustment of the position of the bulkhead and transmits shock loadings from the bulkhead to the car over a relatively large area.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the railway freight bracing field and more particularly to a flat car bulkhead assembly and its association with the car.

One of the oldest and still more widely used types of railway cars is the so-called flat car. A railway dat car normally has a flat deck upon which a wide variety of goods may be transported. When transporting goods on this type of car, it is essential to provide some hold-down structure for preventing longitudinal shifting of the transported goods under shock loadings which are both frequent and severe in this mode of transportion. Often stacked flat goods such as pieces of lumber or other building products such as plaster board are shipped on such cars and it is essential that substantially the full height of the stack be braced against this longitudinal movement. It has been proposed to provide a vertically extending bulkhead at one or both ends of the lliat car to brace such goods. Although fixed bulkhead assemblies have been proposed for this purpose, the fixed position of the bulkhead limits the utility of the car since varying length loads cannot be conveniently handled since both ends of the load cannot be engaged for all length loads. If such types of building products are being carried and the load shifts, pieces from one stack of goods may become interwoven with pieces from another stack rendering unloading diilicult. For this reason, movable lat car bulkheads are more desirable.

A movable bulkhead for this type of application should be relatively strong so as to resist the considerable shock loadings encountered in this form of transportation. The strength requirement adds to the weight of the bulkhead assembly making adjustment diiiicult. It is preferable if simple manual effort may be used to adjust the position of the movable bulkhead Although supporting the bulkhead assembly on a roller arrangement will facilitate this movement, the bearings and overall supporting arrangement should be such that the bearings will not be subjected to the shock loadings applied to the bulkhead assembly, otherwise damage of the bearings will occur. 1f the bear- 3,476,041 Patented Nov. d, 1969 ICC ings become damaged, adjustment may again become diflcult or impossible.

It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved movable bulkhead assembly for use on a railway at car.

It is another object of this invention to provide a bulkhead assembly for a railway flat car that is extremely strong and transmits the shock loadings from the bulkhead to the car over a relatively large area to preclude localized stress concentrations.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a movable flat car bulkhead assembly embodying a spring structure for assisting in supporting at least a portion of the weight of the bulkhead assembly to facilitate adjustment and for yielding upon shock loading to transfer forces from the bulkhead to the car over a relatively large area.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a supporting structure for a movable flat car -bulkhead assembly embodying bearings for facilitating movement of the bulkhead and a device for relieving the bearings of the shock loadings to prevent damage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A bulkhead assembly embodying this invention is particularly adapted for use in a Hat bedded railway car that is adapted to carry a variety of articles and which includes a floor structure extending along at least a portion of the length of the car. The bulkhead assembly is supported upon the car adjacent the oor structure and has a vertically extending freight engaging face that is adapted to engage and brace freight supported upon the oor structure. The lower portion of the bulkhead assembly is adapted to be fixed relative to the car for resisting shock induced displacement of the freight ngaged by the bulkhead freight engaging face. The remainder of the bulkhead assembly above the noted lower portion is substantially unsupported by the car in a horizontal direction whereby the bulkhead assembly is loaded as a cantilever beam upon the application of force loads to the freight engaging face. The means that is adapted to lix the bulkhead to the car includes means for limiting the tilting of the bulkhead assembly about a horizontally disposed axis extending parallel to the freight engaging face comprising lug means having a horizontally disposed surface that is normally spaced from an oppositely facing horizontal disposed surface of the car and means for pivotally supporting the lug means upon the bulkhead for pivotal movement about a horizontally disposed axis whereby the lug surface is brought into full bearing engagement with the car surface upon tilting of the bulkhead.

A bulkhead assembly of the typedescribed in the immediately preceding paragraph is also adapted to embody another feature of the invention to facilitate movement of the bulkhead assembly longitudinally of the car. In this embodiment, means support the bulkhead assembly for movement longitudinally of the car to a plurality of spaced bracing positions. The supporting means includes biasing spring means interposed between the bulkhead assembly and the car for urging a surface of the bulkhead assembly adjacent the car away from engagement with the car to facilitate movement of the bulkhead assembly. The biasing spring means is yieldable upon the exertion of shock loading for movement of the noted surface of the bulkhead assembly into engagement with the adjacent car surface for transmitting loading from the bulkhead assembly to the car over a relatively large area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one end portion of a railway car embodying this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevational view taken in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view taken in the direction of the arrow 5 in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 8--8 of FIGURE 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings the reference numeral 11 indicates generally a fiat bedded railway car, only one end of which is shown, incorporating this invention and embodying a movable bulkhead assembly, indicated generally by the reference numeral 12. It is to be understood that the movable bulkhead assembly as described herein may be provided at the other end of the car 11. Alternatively, the other end of the car need not embody a movable bulkhead assembly and may incorporate a fixed bulkhead assembly if the desired range of adjustment can be provided at one end.

The fiat car 11 may incorporate a conventional underframe structure of any known type, indicated generally by the reference numeral 13, so long as it provides suflicient strength to take the loads applied to the bulkhead assembly 12 at either end throughout the full length of their range of adjustment. The underframe structure 13 carries rail engaging truck assemblies 14 at each of its ends. A substantial portion of the length of the car 11 between its end is equipped with a floor assembly, indicated generally by the reference numeral 15, upon which a variety of different articles may be supported for transportation. The depicted floor structure 15 is of a convertible type, such as is described in the copending patent application entitled Railway Car, Ser. Nos. 518,203 in the name of Edward S. Cisco and 518,038 in the name of Donald W. Hanifan, now U.S. Patent No. 3,361,401, issued Jan. 2, 1969, both of which are assigned to the assignee of this application. The floor structure 15 includes interconnected oor member assemblies 16 and 17 which are adapted to be positioned in side-by-side relationship or in vertically stacked relationship so as to increase the utility of the car 11. As is noted in the aforementioned applications, the tloor member assemblies 16 and 17 may be positioned at desired intervals along the length of the car or may be staggered with conventional iiat floor structures along the length of the car.

The bulkhead assembly 12 includes a frame of generally open construction to provide sufficient strength within a minimum weight. This frame assembly is identified generally by the reference numeral 18 in the drawings. A vertically extending load engaging face 19 is aixed to the frame assembly 18 on the side of the bulkhead assembly 12 adjacent the load supporting lloor struc- V ture 15. The load engaging face 19 may be formed from horizontally extending lumber members or may be of any other suitable construction. The face 19 is adapted to abuttingly engage freight supported upon the oor structure 15 to prevent movement of the freight longitudinally of the car 11 under shock loadings, which frequently oc- 4 cur during transportation or during the making up of a train.

The bulkhead assembly 12 is supported for longitudinal movement along the car 11 to a plurality of preselected freight bracing positions, this movement being facilitated at least in part by a drive sprocket assembly, indicated generally by the reference numeral 21. The drive sprocket assembly 21 (shown in most detail in FIGURES 2 and 4 through 6) is comprised of a timing shaft 22 that extends across substantially the full width of the bulkhead frame 18 and projects beyond its outer faces. The timing shaft 22 is supported for rotation adjacent its outer ends by means of generally inverted yokes 23. Each of the yokes 23 has a pair of depending legs 24 and 25 which legs are counterbored, as at 26 and 27, to receive anti-friction bearings 28 and 29, respectively, to rotatably support the timing shaft 22. Each of the yokes 23 is disposed adjacent a respective one of vertically extending structural member 31 of the bulkhead frame 18. The portion of the frame member 31 through which the timing shaft 22 extends is formed with a slot 32 which is elongated in a vertical direction for a reason which will become more apparent as this description proceeds.

The outer ends of the timing shaft 22 are received in collars 33 which are affixed against rotation with respect to the timing shaft 22 by means of transversely extending pins 34. The outer ends of the collars 33 are fixed in 'any suitable manner to a respective sprocket wheel 35 having radially extending teeth 36. The teeth 36 extend into apertures 37 formed in a plate member 38 that extends along the respective side of the car 11. The apertures 37 are longitudinally spaced so that rotation of the sprocket wheels 35 and associated timing shaft 22 will cause the bulkhead assembly 12 to be driven longitudinally of the car. Since both of the sprocket wheels 35 are rigidly atiixed against rotation relative to the timing shaft 22, the bulkhead assembly 12 may be moved longitudinally of the car 11 without cocking even though only one end of the timing shaft 22 is driven.

To facilitate longitudinal movement of the bulkhead assembly 12, the sprocket wheels 35 are formed with a female socket opening 39 that is adapted to receive a male end of a driving crank 41. A driving crank 41 is supported upon each side of the bulkhead frame 18 by means of a hanger 42 and locking pin 43. To prevent loss or accidental displacement of the driving handle 41, a chain 44 is fixed at one end to the handle 41 and at its other end to an eye bolt 45 that is secured to the adjacent side of the bulkhead frame 18.

If desired, additional sprocket Wheels may be fixed to the timing shaft 22 at selected intervals along its length provided that corresponding tracks are positioned on the car 11 at these locations, such tracks being indicated generally by the reference numerals 47 and 48. Rollers 51 are carried by the timing shaft 22 between the yoke legs 24 and 25. The rollers 51 engage a track or plate 52 of the car underframe structure to provide vertical support for the bulkhead assembly 12 in a manner which will become more apparent as this description proceeds.

A locking assembly, indicated generally by the reference numeral 53, is provided for retaining the bulkhead assembly 12 in any of its preselected freight bracing positions, which positions are determined by the spacing of the apertures 37. The locking assembly 53 is comprised of a plurality of locking pin forgings 54 (FIG- URES 2, 3 and 7). The locking pin forgings 54 are disposed in a longitudinal plane with the sprocket Wheels 35 and are positioned forwardly of the timing shaft 22 upon the bulkhead frame 18. Each of the locking pin forgings 54 is supported for reciprocation Within a formed socket member 55 and is movable between an engaged and a disengaged position, as will become more apparent as this description proceeds. The locking pin forgings 54 have a pair of depending pins 56 and 57 that are adapted to engage the apertures 37 in the respective tracks 38,

47 and 48 to fix the bulkhead assembly 12 in its preselected positions.

The locking pin forgings 54 are moved between their engaged and disengaged position by a linkage system that includes links 58 pivotally connected at their lower ends to the respective locking pin forgings 54 by means of a pivot pin 59. The upper end of each of the links 58 is pivotally connected to a crank arm 61 with all of the crank arms 61 being allixed to a torsion tube 62 that extends across the bulkhead frame 18. An operating handle 63 is associated with each end of the torsion tube 62 for selectively rotating the torsion tube 62. Some form of detachable connection may be provided between each of the handles 63 and the torsion tube 62 so that the locking mechanism 53 can be operated by either handle 63 without concurrent motion of the other handle. The locking pin forgings 54 are urged into their engaged position by means of coil springs 64 disposed at each side of the bulkhead assembly. Each coil spring 64 encircles the respective link 58 and bears against the upper end of the locking pin forging 54 and a plate 65 that is welded to an appropriate portion of the bulkhead frame.

It should be readily apparent that even though a lightweight construction is employed for the bulkhead frame 18, the bulkhead assembly 12 will nevertheless have a relatively large weight. Such high weights are necessary to Iresist damage to the assembly under the influence of the extremely high shock loadings encountered in railway transportation. If the lower edge of the bulkhead assembly 12 were to bear directly upon the adjacent floor structure of the car 11, considerable frictional resistance to movement would be encountered. The bulkhead assembly 12 is supported in a vertical `direction in such a manner that the lower surface of the frame assembly 18 will not contact the car underframe structure under normal conditions and will not contact the underframe when the bulkhead assembly 12 is being moved between its respective longitudinal positions.

The vertical supporting structure at the rear of the bulkhead assembly 12 will be described by particular reference to FIGURES 4 and 5. A short shaft 66 is affixed at its lower end to each of the yokes 23 in a direction extending away from the legs 24 and 25. The shaft 66 extends through a complementary apertune formed in a horizontally extending leg of a U-shaped member 67 that is aixed, as by welding, to the adjacent bulkhead frame member 31. A coil compression spring 68 encircles 'the shaft 66 and bears against the upper surface of the yoke 23 and the lower surface of the U-shaped member 67. The springs 68 serve to support the rearward portion of the bulkhead assembly 12 upon the yokes 23. A nut 69 and washer 71 are positioned upon a respective threaded upper end 72 of each shaft 66 to prevent separation of these components and to provide an initial preload upon the spring 68. During movement of the bulkhead assembly 12 to its adjusted positions, the spring 68 will prevent any substantial surface-tosurface contact between the lower end of the bulkhead assembly 12 and the door structure of the car 11. Hence, very little frictional resistance will be encountered upon movement of the bulkhead assembly 12. Since the center of gravity of the bulkhead assembly 12 is disposed toward the load engaging face 19, the majority of the weight of the bulkhead assembly 12 is concentrated forwardly of the rear support. For this reason, only two of the rollers 51 are employed in the described embodiment. The sprocket wheels 35 do not provide any substantial vertical support and, in fact, may provide no vertical support whatsoever.

The vertical support for the forward end of the bulkhead assembly 12 will now be described by particular reference to FIGURES 7 and 8. As with the rear vertical supports, the front supports are resilient to preclude direct contact between the lower face of the bulkhead frame 18 and the car underframe structure except as hereinafter noted. The front supports comprise a plurality of laterally spaced rollers 73 that are fixed to stub shafts 74 and which contact the floor plates 52. The opposite ends of each of the stub shafts 74 are xed to depending legs of yokes 75. The yokes 75 carry vertically extending stub shafts 76 that extend through apertures in brackets 77 that are suitably fixed to the bulkhead frame structure 18. A coil compression spring 78 engages the stub shaft 76 between the bracket 77 and yoke 75 to resiliently support the bulkhead frame 18 upon the yokes 75. A nut 79 and washer 80 are positioned on the upper end of the stub shaft 76 to adjust the initial preload on the spring 78. During normal conditions, the spring 78 will preclude any direct metal-to-metal contact between the forward edge of the bulkhead frame 18 and the adjacent car underframe structure. It should be readily apparent, therefore, that the springs 68 and 78 will maintain the bulkhead assembly 12 in a slightly elevated position so that only rolling friction is encountered during adjustment of the position of the bulkhead assembly.

Although it is desirable to relieve the surface-to-surface contact between the bulkhead assembly 12 and the car iloor, it is also desirable to permit these surfaces to contact under shock loadings so as to minimize localized stress concentrations and to preclude the transmission of these shocks to the various bearings. Shock loadings applied to the load engaging face 19 of the bulkhead assembly 12 will cause the bulkhead assembly 12 to pivot slightly due to the resulting compression of the springs 68. This yielding of the springs 68 will permit the lower surface of the bulkhead frame assembly 18 to contact the adjacent floor surface of the car 11. Continued pivotal movement is precluded, however, by means of generally inverted T-shaped members 81 (FIG- URES 2, 3 and 7) that are disposed at spaced intervals across the 'Width of the bulkhead assembly 12. Each of the T-shaped members is pivotally supported upon a pivot pin 82 that is xed in any suitable manner to the bulkhead frame. The cross head of the T-shaped member 81 extends through an opening 83 formed in the car floor and underlies a horizontally extending surface formed by the car lloor. The upper surface of the cross head of the T-shaped member 81 is normally spaced slightly below the surface 82.

When a force loading is applied against the bulkhead load engaging face 19 and the springs 68 compress, the rear edge 84 of the bulkhead assembly will move into engagement with the floor structure. At the same time, the forward edge of the bulkhead assembly 12 will raise slightly until the T-shaped members 81 contact the floor undersurface. If the T-shaped members 81 were rigidly aiixed to the bulkhead frame 18, this engagement Would occur over only a localized area. The pivotal support of the T-shaped members 81, however, permits their upper surfaces to move into full face engagement with the floor undersurface. Hence, further pivotal movement of the bulkhead asembly 12 is precluded and the shock loadings are transmitted from the bulkhead assembly 12 to the car 11 over relatively large surface areas.

Under some circumstances, the bulkhead assembly 12 may also pivot forwardly toward the load tending to cause some elongation of the springs 68 and upon compression of the springs 78. This movement is resisted by a plurality of generally L-shaped members 85 each of which has its long leg bifurcated and aixed to the yoke leg 25 as by welding (FIGURE 6). The short leg of the L-shaped member 85 is formed with an upwardly extending surface 86 that lies beneath and is spaced slightly from the undersurface of the iloor plate 52. Under the aforenoted forward pivotal movement of the bulkhead assembly 12, the surface 86 will contact the floor undersurface and resist further movement in this direction.

It should be readily apparent that the disclosed embodiment provides a movable bulkhead assembly which may be locked in a number of predetermined freight bracing positions. Even though the bulkhead assembly 12 is supported as a cantilever beam, insurance is made that localized stress concentrations will be at a minimum and that the construction is extremely strong. The use of the springs 518 and 78 and the associated supporting mechanism, however, relieves a Considerable portion of the frictional resistance to adjustment of the bulkhead, but does not interfere with the load transmission between the bulkhead assembly and the car underframe structure. The springs 68 and 78 also relieve the rollers 51 and 73 and their associated supporting bearings from any considerable shock loading to resist damage to these components.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change.

What is claimed is:

1. A fiat bedded railway car adapted to carry a variety of articles comprising a oor structure extending along at least a portion of the length of said car, a bulkhead assembly supported upon said car adjacent said oor structure, said bulkhead assembly having a vertically extending freight engaging face adapted to engage and brace freight supported upon said floor structure, and means for fixing the lower portion of said bulkhead assembly relative to said car for resisting shock induced displacement of the freight engaged by said freight engaging face, said bulkhead assembly being substantially unsupported in a horizontal direction above said lower portion for cantilever loading of said bulkhead assembly upon the application of force loads to said load engaging face, the last named means including means for limiting tilting of said bulkhead assembly about a horizontally disposed axis extending parallel to said freight engaging face comprising lug means having a generally horizontally disposed surface, track means upon said car, said track means having a horizontally disposed surface normally spaced from and facing said horizontally disposed surface of said lug means and means for pivotally supporting said lug means upon said bulkhead assembly for pivotal movement of said lug means upon tilting of said bulkhead assembly about said horizontally disposed axis for bringing said horizontally disposed surface of said lug means into full bearing relationship with said horizontally disposed surface of said track means.

2. A flat bedded railway car as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for fixing the lower portion of the bulkhead assembly relative to the car further includes resilient means juxtaposed to the rear edge of said lower portion for yieldably maintaining said rear edge in spaced relationship from the car floor structure, the lug means being disposed adjacent the freight engaging face.

3. A flat bedded railway car as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for fixing the lower portion of the bulkhead assembly relative to the car includes means for supporting said bulkhead assembly for movement longitudinally of said car, the track means extending in a longitudinal direction for engagement of the lug means with said track means in all longitudinal positions of said bulkhead assembly.

4. A fiat bedded railway car as set forth in claim 3 wherein the means for fixing the lower portion of the bulkhead assembly relative to the car further includes resilient means juxtaposed to the rear edge of said lower portion for yieldably maintaining said rear edge in spaced relationship from the car floor structure, the lug means being disposed adjacent the freight engaging face.

5. A at bedded railway car as set forth in claim 4 further including second lug means juxtaposed to the resilient means, said second lug means having a horizontally disposed surface juxtaposed to the horizontally disposed surface of the track means and adapted to engage said track means upon tilting of said bulkhead assembly in a direction opposite to the direction said bulkhead assembly tilts when the first mentioned lug means engages said track means.

6. A flat bedded railway car as set forth in claim 3 further including resilient means interposed between the car and the bulkhead assembly for yieldably maintaining said bulkhead assembly in spaced relationship from the car and for yielding to transmit shock loadings directly from the bulkhead assembly to the car.

7. A flat bedded railway car adapted to carry a variety of articles comprising a floor structure extending along at least a portion of the length of said car, a bulkhead assembly having a vertically extending freight engaging face adapted to engage and brace freight supported upon said floor structure, and means supporting said bulkhead assembly in cantilevered fashion upon said floor and for movement longitudinally of said car to a plurality of spaced positions, said last named means including biasing spring means operatively interposed between said bulkhead assembly and the car for urging the surface of said bulkhead assembly adjacent said car away from engagement with said car for facilitating movement of said bulkhead assembly between its said spaced positions, said biasing spring means being yieldable upon the exertion of shock loading against said freight engaging face for bringing said adjacent surface of said bulkhead assembly into bearing engagement with the car for transferring said shock loadings from said bulkhead assembly to said car.

S. A flat bedded railway car as set forth in claim 7 further including locking means for releasably restraining the bulkhead assembly in its spaced positions.

9. A at bedded railway car as set forth in claim 8 further` including a timing shaft extending across the bulkhead assembly, at least two sprocket wheels affixed against rotation relative to said shaft at longitudinally spaced positions, and track means on said car for cooperation with said sprocket wheels.

10. A flat bedded railway car as set forth in claim 9 wherein the locking means comprises lock pins adapted to coact with the tracks.

11. A flat bedded railway car as set forth in claim 10 further including roller means supported by the timing shaft and engageable with the floor structure for supporting said bulkhead assembly upon said floor structure.

12. A flat bedded railway car as set forth in claim 7 further including means for limiting the pivotal movement of the bulkhead assembly upon yielding of the biasing spring means comprising lug means supported upon said bulkhead assembly for pivotal movement about a horizontally disposed axis displaced from said biasing spring means, said lug means having a horizontally disposed surface, and means on said car defining a horizontally disposed surface spaced from said surface of said lug means, said surfaces of said car and said lug means being adapted to be brought into full bearing engagement upon pivotal movement of said bulkhead caused by yielding of said lbiasing spring means.

13. A bulkhead assembly for use on a railway Hat car and adapted to extend upwardly from the oor and supported thereon in a cantilevered fashion, said bulkhead assembly comprising a generally upstanding frame assembly, means defining a vertically extending load engaging face at one end of said frame assembly, a timing shaft extending transversely across said frame assembly at the lower end thereof, a pair of spaced sprocket wheels affixed against rotation relative to said timing shaft and adapted to coact with a track on the oor of an associated railway car for moving said bulkhead assembly longitudinally therealong, biasing spring means interposed between said timing shaft and said frame assembly, said biasing spring means being loaded by the weight of said frame assembly and urging said frame assembly upwardly away from the axis of said timing shaft for yieldably supporting said frame assembly upon said timing shaft, a plurality of lock pins, means supporting said lock pins for reciprocable movement relative to said frame assembly between engaged and disengaged positions an operating shaft, means operatively connecting said operating shaft to said lock pins for moving said lock pins between their engaged and disengaged positions upon rotation of said operating shaft, and an operating handle aiXed to one end of said operating shaft for rotating said operating shaft.

14. A bulkhead as set forth in claim 13 wherein at least two of the lock pins are longitudinally aligned with a respective of the sprocket wheels.

15. A bulkhead as set forth in claim 13 wherein the means for yieldably supporting the frame assembly upon the timing shaft includes a pair of spaced yokes journaling said timing shaft, the biasing spring means being interposed between said yokes and said frame assembly.

16. A bulkhead as set forth in claim 15 further includ- 10 ing roller means interposed between the legs of said yokes and supported upon said timing shaft for engaging the door structure of an associated railway car for support thereupon.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,978,993 4/1961 Hall 10S-374 3,095,830 7/1963 Runken 10S- 369 3,108,547 10/1963 Shaver 105-376 3,191,546 6/1965 Adler 10S-376 3,361,401 1/1968 Hanifan 10S-422 X DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 10S-369, 374 

